ABSTRACT

Books are a recognized but insufficiently researched means for dissemination of ideologies, including by far-right violent extremists. Considering that the far-right are early and effective adopters of new communication technology, this article explores how digital publication and circulation of books can both enable and direct a known potential pathway to radicalization to extremism: the ‘intellectual quest’. This article explores the publication history and commercial circulation of novels by self-identified American neo-Nazis William L. Pierce and Harold A. Covington, which have been linked to planning and acts of violence both in the U.S.A. and elsewhere, and how commercial algorithms direct potential purchasers to ideologically adjacent material. We argue that digital book publishing and circulation have particular affordances for articulating, amplifying and normalizing violent extremist ideologies.

摘要

书籍是传播意识形态的一种公认但尚未充分研究的手段，包括极右翼暴力极端分子的意识形态。考虑到极右翼分子是新通信技术的早期有效采用者，本文探讨了数字出版和书籍流通如何能够实现并引导一条已知的潜在激进主义路径：“知识探索”。本文探讨了自称为美国新纳粹分子的威廉·L·皮尔斯 (William L. Pierce) 和哈罗德·A·科文顿 (Harold A. Covington) 的小说的出版历史和商业流通，这些小说与美国和其他地方的暴力策划和行为有关，以及商业算法如何引导潜在购买者购买意识形态上相似的材料。